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QB Ryan Nassib gets in first work with Jaguars, ready to help when needed

Unlike a month ago, there is no open quarterback battle going on this week for the Jaguars’ starting job like it was between Blake Bortles and Chad Henne during Week 3 of the preseason.

Still, competition increased at the spot on Wednesday when Ryan Nassib got in his first full-scaled work with the team after he was signed on Monday.

For now, Nassib is considered to be insurance in case Bortles goes down with an injury.

Bortles, who has played with a sore right wrist for the past 2 ½ weeks, was listed on the team’s injury report on Wednesday, but participated in the entire practice and said afterwards he felt 100 percent ready for Sunday’s game in London against the Baltimore Ravens.

But there’s always a chance the quarterback rotation could change, especially if Bortles continues to struggle like his three-turnover performance in this past Sunday’s 37-16 loss to Tennessee at EverBank Field.

Nassib said he will be ready when needed and is thankful to be back in the NFL. He was waived by the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 2 after they signed him in June.

“I was on the street for the first two weeks of the season,” Nassib said. ”So you never know if your going to get a chance to play again. It happens to a lot of players in this league and it’s not a fun feeling. So you just try to stay busy and stay ready.”

Bortles said he’s fine with the team bringing in another quarterback.

“I don’t care,” Bortles said. “I think Ryan is a great dude. For the two days he has been here he has been fun to be around, fun to talk to. We got to practice today and he has been good.”

Henne expressed that he’s happy Nassib is now on the roster because it will allow him to catch a break on some of his scout team work.

“That’s really my reaction,” Henne said. “Any time you go with only two quarterbacks, it’s tough for practice purposes. I’m excited. I can now at least split up the reps on the scout team instead of taking everything. But Ryan seems to be a good guy. He was in New York with Eli (Manning) and he seems like he knows what he’s doing.”

A five-year veteran, Nassib played for Jaguars coach Doug Marrone when he coached at Syracuse. During his final two seasons at Syracuse, Nassib’s offensive coordinator was current Jaguars offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

And in 2013, Nassib was a fourth-round pick by the New York Giants, who were coached by current Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin.

“Any opportunity to compete is huge and just having the coaches that I’m familiar is really a huge added bonus,” Nassib said.

At Syracuse, Nassib set school records for passing yards (3,757), yards per game (476.0) and touchdown passes (26). But in the NFL, he’s played only five games, all with the Giants in 2014-15.

“For me, and I can only speak for myself, it was just a matter of making sure I do the right thing for the team,” said Marrone, regarding the team’s decision to bring in Nassib as the team’s third quarterback.

“I mean, I had him at Syracuse, so he’s a guy that I watched grow from the beginning. Obviously, he did a hell of a job at Syracuse when I was the head coach, so I’m not going to downplay that at all.”

With the Jaguars’ offensive system, Nassib said there are variations of both what Marrone and Hackett ran at Syracuse and also what Coughlin used with the Giants.

However, Nassib said the biggest adjustment is learning the terminology.

“Basically I have to learn new language, which is fine,” Nassib said. “I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again. It just got to be at a quicker pace. I’m excited to keep learning and I can’t wait until Sunday.”

Jaguars vs. Ravens

When: 9:30 a.m., Sunday

Where: Wembley Stadium, London

TV: CBS

Records: Jaguars 1-1, Ravens 2-0

QB Ryan Nassib gets in first work with Jaguars, ready to help when needed- By